Mumbai take three points from Railways match

November 05, 2012 18:22 IST

Mumbai earned three points on the basis of the 144-run first innings lead after bundling out Railways for 426 in their Group 'A' Ranji Trophy match that ended in a draw on fourth and final day, in Mumbai, on Monday.

Having taken a massive lead, Mumbai, 570 all out in their first innings, went on to pile 230 for 5 in their second.

Resuming at 380 for eight, Railways had a tough task of avoiding the follow-on and overnight batsmen Krishnakant Upadhyay (45) and Anureet Singh (30 not out) shared a 74-run stand for the ninth wicket to overcome the challenge.

Mumbai's bowling attack without Zaheer Khan, who left the field mid-way during one of his overs due to cramps on Sunday, seemed lacklustre earlier on.

However, Railways' batsmen failed to sustain for long and fell after going a little over the 420-run mark within 40 minutes of play in the morning session.

Dhawal Kulkarni claimed both the wickets.

In Mumbai's second innings, first innings centurion Ajinkya Rahane hit a quickfire 81-ball 84, studded with seven fours and two sixes, while Kaustubh Pawar scored 85 off 173 balls. The duo put up a 125-run stand for the third wicket.

Sachin Tendulkar, who scored a strokeful 137 off 136 balls in the first innings, did not come out to bat in the second. He earlier batted at No 5 but Abhishek Nayar was sent at that position.

Zaheer, who was included in India's squad for the first two Tests against England, was seen driving into the stadium after Railways' innings ended. He later warmed up outside the boundary line 20 minutes prior to lunch.

During lunch, he practiced at the unused wicket and rolled his arm over to bowl a few deliveries at a stump for nearly 15 minutes.

A team source later said that Zaheer was "resting as a precaution" but will not be reprimanded for coming late.

After the day's play, Rahane admitted that he was disappointed at not having scored a ton but said he was happy with his batting.

"I am pretty much disappointed because 100 in each innings is special. But the way I was batting, I am pretty much happy," he told reporters after the match.

On his preparation for the England series, the Mumbaikar said, "I have got three good innings and I am quite high on confidence, so I am feeling good I am not thinking about Test matches but just want to prepare myself and see what happens."

Rahane, who batted at No 3 in both the innings, said he can bat at any position.

"If you are playing international cricket, you need to be mentally prepared. The batting order can change according to the situation," he added.